Ella Henderson has revealed topping the charts has been an "overwhelming" experience.

The former X Factor finalist, who finished in sixth place in the 2012 series of the ITV singing show, held onto the UK's number one crown for the second week running with her single Ghosts.

"It feels insane, it feels incredible. (It's) very overwhelming, but I'm enjoying every second," she said.

The 18-year-old said that writing with OneRepublic's Ryan Tedder has been a dream come true.

"There's definitely been some pinch-me moments in the past two years. I've loved writing with Ryan Tedder - we wrote my first single Ghosts together. I'm a massive fan of OneRepublic so it was an honour," she said.

"(My life has) changed massively. I've been able to go into the studio and write with people who are my biggest icons. All of a sudden, I'm sitting in the same room as them and they're writing for my record. It's been a privilege."

Ella, who performed at Capital FM's Summertime Ball, also heaped praise on The X Factor's Simon Cowell, who signed her to his Syco Music label.

"He's amazing. He's been such a support network for me throughout this whole campaign. He's been behind-the-scenes with me and working on it hard," she said.